Eco Home Inspiration

Eco Home Inspiration

Thanks to growing concerns about the environment, more and more of us are becoming more eco-conscious in our home choices. Rising CO2 levels are dangerous for the planet, and so we want to do our part to cut back.

green-energy-eco-homePublic Domain Pictures

According to estimates from the International Energy Agency, about a third of all the energy used in the world is used by households. This means that individuals, like you and I, can make a big difference to our carbon footprint by thinking carefully about house design. Here are all the ways to make your home more eco-friendly.

Go Small

Large homes are great if you’ve got a big family, but if it’s just you and a partner, then you might want to go small. Smaller homes are far easier to heat up during the winter thanks to their lower energy requirements and the fact that there is a smaller volume of air to heat up.

Insulate Everything

According to Conserve Energy, around 50 percent of a household’s energy consumption goes into heating and cooling. That’s why it’s so important to invest lots of money into thick insulation for the walls and the roof. To do the work on the roof, you’ll need a specialist roofer. Once you’ve got the insulation in place, you can reduce your energy bills by up to forty percent.

Make Use Of Sustainable Building Materials

When it comes to looking after the environment, it’s not just the amount of CO2 we care about. It’s also the effect of extracting building materials from the natural world. Extracting conventional building materials can cause damage to ecosystems and damage the water table. As a result, many more eco-conscious home buyers are looking for sustainable products which pose the least risk to the natural world. You can use all sorts of products to build your home, including things like reclaimed plastic, lumber and glass.

Harvest Rainwater

Many homes, especially homes located in drier climes, can damage the natural environment by drawing down too heavily on the natural water table. This is why so many eco-conscious homeowners are now investing in systems that help them to harvest rainwater, taking it from the sky, rather than from depleted local lakes and reservoirs. Collected rainwater can be used for some of the most water-intensive home activities, such as sprinkling the garden and flushing toilets.

For those who really want to conserve water, there is also the option of buying “water-conserving fixtures” – showerheads and taps which use less water than their regular counterparts. These water-saving fixtures can help you cut your water bills while protecting the natural environment and saving energy.

Plant Trees Strategically

1169px-1exterior_at_night_4x5Wikimedia Commons

Ideally, you want sunlight to be able to pour into your home and warm it up during the winter. But some landscaping prevents this. Make sure that your trees are positioned in such a way that they don’t block the sun’s ray’s from coming through your windows. If you do want to plant trees on the southern end of your home, make sure that they’re deciduous. In the summer they’ll help shade your house, and in the winter, when they lose their leaves, they’ll allow the sunlight through.

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